Appointments of the Defense and Foreign Ministers Postponed: The Reasons. UPDATED
18 August 15:46On August 18, 2026, Ukrainian People’s Deputy Mariana Bezuhla rejoined the “Servant of the People” parliamentary faction, which she had left in July 2024.
This was announced during a plenary session by Oleksandr Kornienko, First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada.
“In accordance with Part 3 of Article 60 of the Verkhovna Rada’s Rules of Procedure and the submitted application, I hereby announce the admission of Ukrainian MP Mariana Volodymyrivna Bezugla to the parliamentary faction of the ‘Servant of the People’ political party. Congratulations!” he said.
Bezugla herself explained her return to the faction as follows:
“To create a special commission on military justice, which cannot be headed by an independent MP, and also to have the guaranteed right to participate in all meetings—and, of course, not to remain silent there. Perhaps this is temporary.”
On July 15, Bezugla wrote on Facebook that she intended to rejoin the “Servant of the People” parliamentary faction.
At the same time, Mariana Bezuhla stated that if Yevheniya Khmara is nominated for the position of defense minister this week, she will not vote for her candidacy.
“…I will not vote for him, as I noted earlier. For seven years now, I’ve voted in favor of 99% of the President’s proposals from the very beginning, but everyone has their red lines. Where is the line? This is my position, and I’m stating it openly,” she emphasized.
According to the lawmaker, she doubts that many of her colleagues will disobey if Khmara himself is willing to remove his epaulets…
“In fact, under these circumstances, he is relinquishing his officer’s honor in order to continue participating in political infighting—or rather, to continue serving as their tool and figurehead,” Bezuhla concluded.
According to MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to submit a proposal to the Verkhovna Rada today, August 18, to appoint Yevhen Khmara as Minister of Defense and Andriy Sybiga as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
At the same time, Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk stated during a session of the Rada that the president’s nominations for the positions of defense and foreign affairs ministers had not yet been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada.
“As of now, no such nominations have been received. If they arrive in the near future, you will see them in announcements from my press office,” Stefanchuk said.
He added that nominations falling under the exclusive authority of other officials are immediately published by Parliament on its website.
Before the session began, people gathered near the Verkhovna Rada, outraged by the absence of appointed ministers of defense and foreign affairs. For over a month, these positions have been held by acting officials—Andriy Sybiga and Yevhen Khmara.
According to political analyst Volodymyr Tsybulko, behind-the-scenes negotiations are currently underway, and the process of gathering votes in the Rada for Khmara’s nomination as defense minister is ongoing. At the same time, if the vote fails, Yevhen Khmara risks losing his position altogether, the political analyst believes.
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It should be noted that on August 18, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted a proposal to parliament regarding the appointment of Yevhen Khmara as Ukraine’s Minister of Defense. He currently heads the ministry on an acting basis. The proposal also includes the nomination of Andriy Sybiga for the position of Foreign Minister. The relevant information is available on the Verkhovna Rada’s website.
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